The Arabist

Palestinian source: Wide gaps remain as summit nears

A Palestinian source has told Haaretz that there is still too much of a gulf between the positions of Israel and the Palestinians, who are currently working on a joint document ahead of a peace conference set for next Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland.

The sources says that in the draft, a copy of which has been obtained by Haaretz, the PLO's opening stance in the Palestinian proposals is weak, and gives up on issues that were once presented as a counterweight to Israeli demands, such as combating terror. (Click here to view a copy of the document.)

Do download that document, it's interesting to see how much has been left out, and I particularly like the final line, reproduced below.

Also note at the beginning, there's gap in the line about who will support the document besides the US. With the Arab mini-summit going on right now, we're about to see if the main Arab states will go into this even though no significant agreement has been reached. If Saudi Arabia says no, there will be a lot of pressure on Mubarak not to go. And the Israelis and Palestinians are bickering over whether to call the whole thing a "document" or "statement"!!!